Rivers Casino pays out in volunteer time to local nonprofit in Allentown
When Kristee Cammack was thinking of a name for her nonprofit, her friend, Kim Young, suggested something that embodied Cammack.
“A Giving Heart” was born.
A Giving Heart is a nonprofit organization that provides after-school programming and nutritious meals to students in the Allentown section of Pittsburgh and surrounding Hilltop neighborhoods. They also serve other areas of the city.
It’s open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and is free, but attendees need to enroll online.
The children get help with homework and can participate in other activities, as well as getting dinner.
“People thought I was crazy when I bought this building, but I knew it had potential,” said Cammack, president and CEO of A Giving Heart.
Rivers Casino recognized the potential, too.
On Tuesday, casino team members painted a locker room and the cafeteria as part of Rivers Gives (formerly Community Champions), a volunteer program to promote and encourage community service.
Casino Director of Community Relations Rahmon Hart and 18 employees spent the afternoon painting the locker room and dining room.
Hart, from Manchester, said they asked local charity and nonprofit organizations what they needed help with, which has included everything from painting to tearing up a gymnasium floor to doing landscaping.
“The Rivers Casino Pittsburgh enjoys giving back to the community,” Hart said. “It’s not just about cutting checks. We enjoy doing the work side-by-side with our neighbors.”
Sydney Portis of the Strip District, security shift manager for the casino, said the feeling helping gives her makes her want to volunteer more.
Volunteers donate more than 2,000 hours annually.
A Giving Heart also received a $5,000 check.
“I could have never dreamed that it would turn out to be as amazing and rewarding as it is today — and we credit Rivers Casino Pittsburgh team members for helping us achieve that,” said Cammack, a Homewood native who lives in Monroeville. “I am crying here.”
Cammack purchased the building in 2013.
“This is where God led me,” she said. “What the casino has done for us is more than paint the walls. They have lifted a burden because, as a nonprofit, we have to do a lot of the repairs, painting and fixing up ourselves. The money will help us continue the programs we have for the children.”
Partnering with the casino is great, said Ace Pippens, activities director, because “organizations like ours can use their help.”
There are so many activities at A Giving Heart, that is why Damaya Reynolds, 14, from Churchill attends almost every day.
“If I wasn’t here, I would just be home on my phone all the time,” Reynolds said. “It is more fun here.”
Her friend Makielya Armstead, 16, of Penn Hills has been attending since it opened.
“We like interacting with all the kids and making new friends,” said Armstead. “We help the younger kids with their homework and we like playing games with them because that makes us feel good. I tell all my friends about this.”
Since opening in 2009, Rivers has contributed $5 million to various Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania nonprofits, benefiting more than 100 local charities annually, a release from the casino said.
Located on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh features 2,608 slots, 129 table games (including a 30-table live poker room), 55 hybrid gaming seats and the BetRivers Sportsbook for live sports betting. The casino offers nine distinctive restaurants and bars, a riverside amphitheater, an event space, a multipurpose ballroom, live music performances, free parking, and ongoing promotions and giveaways. Rivers employs more than 1,600 people. It is owned by Rush Street Gaming.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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